The present invention relates to a missile which automatically disintegrates after a predetermined flight time. The invention may be used to advantage in both practice missiles and service missiles.
Missiles of this type have been hitherto used in antiaircraft guns, in order to initiate ignition of an explosive missile after a certain flight time, if impact detonation has not occurred until then. For this purpose, a spontaneous disintegration device is required, which, since there is no impact-impulse in the case of spontaneous disintegration, effects the piercing of an explosive capsule at the desired time by a pressure-loaded spring which is incorporated in the fuse under prestress as an energy reservoir.
A spontaneous disintegration device of this type is described in the Rheinmetall "Handbook of Armament Technology" ("Waffentechnisches Handbuch"), pages 574/575--1977 Edition.
A condition for the spontaneous disintegration device mentioned being able to become effective is that a suitable explosive charge is present in the missile. It follows from this that a spontaneous disintegration device of this type is of no use in missiles which do not usually contain any explosive charge, such as, for example, purely kinetic energy (non-explosive) missiles or practice missiles.
It is conceivable to provide a small disintegration charge and a corresponding spontaneous disintegration device, for example, for sub-caliber wing-stabilized arrow-missiles or for practice missiles, but, in this way, the missile becomes considerably more complex, especially as arrow-missiles are discharged without spin; the above-mentioned spontaneous disintegration device is useless in missiles discharged without spin and is therefore to be replaced by a purely time-controlled spontaneous disintegration device.